What would be economically viable about establishing stations in the long stretch of space between Mars and Earth? I can think of two reasons for having such stations: To act as stopping points for trips between Mars and the Earth and, if there are any, to pick up rocks to mine for resources.

Of course, the space between Mars and Jupiter is pretty viable. But once we reach the Asteroid Belt, won't we sorta be stuck? Wouldn't Jupiter be stretching it a bit? After all, the cosmic speed limit is 186,000 mps. At some point, our civilization may become too stretched to be viable, if the distances between areas are too vast. How on earth could we ever develop a viable intersteller civilization?

How on earth could we ever develop a viable intersteller civilization?

well the easy answer is we don't. after all, isn't an interstellar civilization by definition not *on* earth. i think that, if we survive, we obviously have to go to other stars. the choices then are threefold for what "we" do with those other groups of humans on other stars. a) they are independent from us and we communicate with them some despite massive time delays. b) we figure out how to send information faster than light and communicate with little time delay, allowing a loose indirect control to be established if it is built into the colony when sent. c) we figure out how to send material faster than light, allowing direct, concrete control over extra-solar colonies and/or civilizations.

I'm seeing the space between Mars and Earth as open water. Earth is the homeland, the Moon and Earth orbit are the shipyards and interplanetary ports. The Asteroid Belt and the Moon are where the resources are (especially the Belt), and Mars is likely to start out life as a simple port for asteroid miners. Why bother taking your ores all the way to Earth, when you can sell them at Mars for a tad bit less, let somebody else with a really big orecarrier take them back to Earth, and return to the Belt that much quicker?